February 6, 2014 10:06pm ESTFebruary 6, 2014 8:19pm ESTHenrik Sedin is out for the Olympics. While his production can't replicated by Sweden, his potential replacement, Mikael Backlund, is no slouch.Henrik Sedin(AP Photo)

When the Vancouver Canucks announced Henrik Sedin would miss the final two regular-season games before the Olympic break, it stood to reason that his injury was serious enough to keep him out of the tournament. The Canucks, however, left the final call to their captain. In the end, Sedin decided not to risk it and will sit out the games in Sochi.

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"I'm disappointed not to be physically able to represent my country at the Winter Olympic Games. This is a difficult decision but ultimately the best decision for me personally, Team Sweden and the Vancouver Canucks. I wish my teammates the best and look forward to returning to play."

For all the reasons mentioned previously, this had to be a brutal decision for Sedin to make. But, at least for the Canucks, he made the right one. Their season needs a turnaround and that spark probably wasn’t going to happen if Sedin's condition didn’t improve, or got worse, as a result of him playing in the Olympics.

As for Sweden, the question turns to who will replace Sedin on the roster. Rumors have pegged Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund, but as Backlund himself tweeted Thursday, nothing’s official yet.

Provided he is named to the team, there’s no way the 24-year-old Backlund can bring the same level of play that a healthy Sedin would have. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a solid contributor for Sweden, however. While conventional stats (13 goals, 14 assists in 55 games) have him as a pedestrian center, advanced stats are high on him.

His Corsi rating is 13.1, one of the best marks on the Flames. When he’s on the ice, the Flames' shot differential is almost even (-0.17), which is the second-best mark among Calgary players who have played 20 games. Likewise, he had the second-best Corsi rating (minimum 20 games played) among Flames players last year.

Again, he’s not in the class of Henrik Sedin, but he’s a solid player.

Sedin isn’t the only high-profile loss of the day for the Olympic tournament. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Marian Gaborik is out with a broken collarbone. A replacement for Team Slovakia has yet to be named.

Sedin’s teammate Dan Hamhuis is out Thursday night for the Canucks, as well. There’s been no indication yet that he’ll be unable to play for Canada in Sochi, but with the tournament just around the corner, it’s entirely possible he’ll have to stay home, too.